Iron Age

Iron smelting displacing bronze after the great trade collapse, democratizing tools and warfare.

Core Principles & Analysis

• It followed the Late Bronze Age collapse around 1200 BC, when tin trade routes failed.
• Iron ore is common where bronze needed scarce tin, so metal tools stopped being elite goods.
• By convention it ends where written history begins, region by region.

Specifications & Metrics

• ERA: ~1200 – 550 BC (varies)